Modernism in The Perspective of Literature and Art: Analyzing Symbolism Featured in Kafka's "Metamorphosis" and Chaplin's "Modern Times"

Both Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and Modern Times by Charlie Chaplin are bringing up the issue of modernism and its impact in a form of art and literature. These works contain so many symbolism that requires our perceptive mind in order to understand the meaning behind it. In this essay, I would like to focus on analyzing the “woman” which holds plentiful messages to be delivered to the audience.

On Kafka’s Metamorphosis, the picture of an alluring woman hung on his wall was mentioned on the very first part even on the climax of the story, which signals the importance of the element in the story. The picture is described in such detail; “a lady with a fur hat and fur boa, sitting upright raising a heavy fur muff that covered the whole of her lower arm to the viewer”. On the first glance, I interpret the woman as the personification of Samsa’s dream and desire to escape the reality, as fur is a symbol of wealth and prosperity. He was already imprisoned in the society’s expectation in the real world, the miserable condition of his family, thus the picture of the woman gives him a ray of hope and a room to breathe. Besides,  Samsa’s interest towards the woman shows his humanness and sexual orientation even though his body had transformed into a gruesome vermin.

However, the importance of woman is further emphasized on the part where Samsa’s mother and sister started to project authority over him by removing his furniture and possessions until the last thing he clung onto hopelessly was the picture of the woman. I was hit by realization that the woman, on which Samsa clung and express possessiveness as if his life depended on it, is the symbolism of his fear of losing his human past. Samsa was holding tightly onto the last remnant of his personal value as a human (this is even more obvious considering the picture is a human being), determined to protect the last thing which represents his identity. I find this scene rather tragic and sorrowful, as he was losing his identity by and by.

Meanwhile, on Modern Times, the woman is portrayed as a humble, cheerful person who comes from the orphanage and becomes Tramp’s (the main character) life companion. I also perceive the presence of the woman as a symbolism of the silver lining of a cloud. Tramp was previously a labor in a huge factory. His everyday life was filled with tedious and repetitive job, being constantly constrained to accomplish the company’s goal which made him gradually lost the grip of his sanity and identity as a human. However, after his encounter the woman, he is able to feel warmth and love once again, which is very identical and crucial to human beings. He eventually feel “human” again, after a long time treated like an object.

The woman is an utterly beautiful person inside and out. It is as if she is a depiction of spiritual being who had been dispatched from heaven as she endeavored with Tramp through thick and thin. Even though they experienced difficulties such as being banished from their workplace, they are always able to alleviate each others burden in the end. On the very last scene of the movie, they walked to uncertainty illustrated as the unending road yet, at the same time, hopeful future illustrated as the vast horizon. Therefore, I interpret the woman in Modern Times as a new beginning, love, strength, trust, and eternal support for human beings, which we actually can find within ourselves.